Shark Bait
by mooner1999
Summary: Steve and Grace encounter an odd enemy in the ocean. Steve gets hurt while trying to protect Grace. Will Steve make it out alive? Steve!Whump
1. Chapter 1

Shark Bait Chapter 1

A/N: I think I'm going to try to write fanfiction again because, hey, why not? I really do miss it and it's been like 5 months since I've last written. I think this is going to be 2-4 chapters, depending on where I go with it. I wanted to do this because (a.) nothin' I love more than Steve whump and (b.) There's gotta be some danger in that big blue ocean, am I right?

"Danno, it's time to leave," Grace told her father. "We're going to be late to go to Uncle Steve's!"

"I'm coming, Monkey, give me a second," Danny replied. He started stuffing all of the essentials into a few bags to bring to Steve's. He had all the bathing suits, towels, and sunscreen (100 SPF, he didn't want himself or Grace to get burnt) in one bag and some long boards and food in the other.

"Come on, Danno!" Grace exclaimed.

"Okay, okay, let's go," he said as he opened the front door.

"Did you get my surfboard?" Grace asked.

Danny kind of hoped she forgot about that thing. "No, I didn't think that you'd want to go surfing today. Ya know, it kinda looks like it's going to rain." Both he and Grace looked up at the clear blue sky. Damn it.

"The sky is blue, there are no clouds in the sky, silly! It's a perfect day to go surfing."

"Okay, fine, I'll go get it. Why don't you meet me in the car?"

"Okay Danno."

Danny walked back into his small dump he calls an apartment and picked up Grace's surfboard that was on the bed in her 'room'. He carried it outside, only bumping the back of the board into the walls a few times. It was a new record.

He strapped the board to the top of the Camaro and got in the driver's seat.

"You ready to go?" he asked his daughter.

"Yes, I've been ready for a while!" Grace said.

Danny smiled a little then started to pull out of his parking spot. They drove for a small amount of time until they pulled up in Steve's driveway. Grace quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and bounded out of the car. She wasted no time knocking on the door, just walked right on in. Danny laughed silently from inside the car while his daughter's body disappeared inside the house. He opened the door and picked up all his bags. He carried them inside to be greeted by Steve talking to Grace who was sitting on the counter.

"I'm really excited to go surfing with you today, Uncle Steve. Kono told me that you were one of the best surfers that she's ever met other than herself. That means you must be pretty good, but I don't think anyone's better than Kono," Grace rambled.

"Well, I'm glad to go surfing with you too, Grace. We just have to be extra careful today or else Danno's going to yell at us, don't you think?"

"Yeah, Danno does get scared when I go in the water. That's okay, though, because he still lets me go in anyway."

"That's right," Danny cut in, "Because I'm the best dad out there." He had a smile plastered on his face.

"Not so sure about that, Danny," Steve said with a smirk. "Let's go, Grace. You have your surfboard and bathing suit ready?" Steve asked the child as he pulled her of the counter and started walking away. He left Danny in the kitchen opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. He was a great father!

Grace quickly changed into her bathing suit and grabbed her surfboard from the Camaro with Steve's help. They met Danny back on the beach where they both slathered some sunscreen on. Grace was forced to have 100 SPF sun block covering every inch of her body that was exposed to the sun. Steve laughed at Danny's worrying.

"Steve you better take care of my Monkey. No waves that are too big, no drowning, no currents dragging her out, and make sure to stay shallow enough that she can stand. I expect her to come back in one piece. Make sure-" Danny's rambling was cut off by Grace.

"We'll be fine. By Danno," she said. Steve and Grace both walked toward the water and dove right in. Danny watched them paddling around in the water for a few minutes until he grabbed a beach chair and settled down in it. By now, it looked as though Steve was giving Grace a few tips by the way he was gesturing to their boards and the waves. He watched as Grace caught one of the smaller waves and barely managed to stay on the board. She returned back to Steve.

Next, it was Steve's turn. He quickly caught a really large wave and started showing off. He cut through the wave smoothly and ran his hands through the wave. He jumped off the board at the end of the wave then started to paddle back out a little deeper to where Grace was watching. She clapped and cheered when Steve came into hearing distance. Danny smiled. He might not have been happy that his daughter was in that water because of all the potential dangers, but he did see that connection that Super SEAL and his daughter had. Steve didn't seem like the kind of guy that would be good with little girls, but it seemed as if it was the most natural thing ever to him.

Danny was snapped out of his thoughts by Grace's shrill scream.

.H50.H50.H50.H50.

The water was a little murky that day. The water was a bit choppy which kicked up the sand at the bottom of the ocean. It still had some visibility, but they could barely see their feet that were settled on the ground.

"The water's a little choppy today so we have to be extra careful, okay?"

Grace nodded her understanding.

"The waves are really big today, too. I haven't ridden on anything this big before," she said over the roar of the waves.

"I guess today is a good day for firsts then, huh? Big waves feel amazing if you manage to catch them. It's like you're floating on a cloud. You'll understand how it feels once you get a good one. Why don't you try to catch one now and I'll watch. I just need to see how you get up on the board and everything so I can give you some tips."

"Okay, Uncle Steve. Which one should I get?" she asked.

"Just wait it out, I'll tell you when I see a good one."

They sat floating on their boards for a moment when a wave that was on the smaller side started to form.

"You see that one out there?" Steve asked Grace. She nodded. "I think that one looks perfect for you."

"Okay, watch me." She started paddling, ready to pick up the wave. She caught it easily on her first try, standing on the board with wobbly legs. She somehow managed to stay on the board even though her balance wasn't quite right. She finished off the wave then started paddling back to Steve.

"That was really great, Gracie! You'll probably be better than even me or Kono when you're older!" Steve praised.

"You really think so?"

"Of course I do. Now, I only saw one problem. You looked a little unbalanced on the board. You need to bend your knees a little more so you move with the wave and not on top of it. If you hold your arms out a little more, that could help too."

"Okay, I'll try that next time. But it's your turn now. I want to see you catch a wave."

"You got it. Stay here, I'll make this a quick one."

Steve just caught the first wave he could. It was a decent size and speed. He easily stood on the board and started weaving through the wave, brushing his hand against the smooth side of the wave. He jumped off a little before it was over, but he didn't want to leave Grace out by herself for too long. Danny would kill him if something happened to her. He paddled his board back out to Grace. She started to tell him that he was really good when it happened.

At first, it was just a small bump on the bottom of Grace's surfboard.

"Uncle Steve…" she murmured, but Steve had seen her board shift suddenly, too.

"Grace, pick your legs out of the water slowly. Put them on your board," he whispered calmly. "Try to balance without putting your arms or legs in the water. It could be nothing, but I want to be careful just in case."

Grace did as she was told, carefully dragging her arms and legs out of the water while Steve did the same. Suddenly, something nudged Grace's board hard. It was enough for Grace to have to drop her arm back in the water to keep her balance on the board. The thing grabbed her arm quickly and started to pull her under, but Steve was quicker. He dove off his own board and managed to kick the thing (which he now knew was a shark) in the snout as hard as he could. It released Gracie's arm and Steve pulled her out of the water and settled her down on her board.

"Gracie, I need you to be brave for me. Catch a wave on your board until you get out of the water. Don't look back and don't get in the water," he said right before the shark pulled him under. Grace screamed as loud as she possibly could, but did as Steve told her. She started to paddle and caught a wave on her first try. She rode it in, using Steve's tips for balance, and managed to stay on the board until the tails on her board started dragging on the sand.

"Gracie, baby, are you okay?" Danny asked her as she stepped onto the beach.

"Danno, Uncle Steve's still out there!" she cried hysterically. "You need to help him! Danno…"

"I know, baby, I know. Let me see your arm," he said frantically. There were a few tiny puncture marks around her upper arm. "Does it hurt?"

"Yes. Danno, please help Uncle Steve," she sniffed.

Danny started to peel of his shoes and socks, knowing that if he didn't, he'd surely drown. He wasn't a great swimmer without shoes, let alone with shoes. "I'll be right back, baby, stay here and get away from the water," he instructed quickly. He started to wade into the water when Steve's head broke the surface some ways out. There was blood surrounding him. There was a lot.

"Steve!" Danny shouted.

"Danny, don't get in, I'm okay," Steve called weakly back. He started to swim back to shore at a speed that Danny couldn't have even swam at uninjured. Steve amazed him sometimes.

"That's right, babe, come on," Danny muttered to himself. Steve was only about 10 yards away at that point. Danny walked out deeper into the water to meet Steve. He slung one of Steve's arms over his shoulders and helped guide him back to the beach.

"Where're you hurt, babe?" Danny asked gently. He searched around Steve's upper body but found nothing other than a few bite marks on his right forearm.

"My foot, 't's pretty messed up," he whispered weakly as they reached the sand.

Danny looked down at Steve's leg. It was a mangled heap of tissue, muscle, and bone. Danny felt sick at the sight of his partner's leg. All that stuff was supposed to be _inside_ his body.

"Grace, I need you to go back inside and call 9-1-1 on the landline. Just tell them that we need an ambulance at this address," Danny told Grace. "Please hurry."

Grace ran inside as quickly as she could and did as Danny had told her. She told the operator that she needed an ambulance and the operator said they'd be there in about 10 minutes. She ran back outside to see her dad taking off his shirt and wrapping it around Steve's left leg.

"Danno…?" Grace said, her bottom lip quivering.

"He's okay, Gracie. I need you to be brave for me and grab the towels that I packed and bring them over," Danny instructed. Grace walked swiftly to the bags and pulled out the three towels and brought them to Danny.

"Thank you, baby. How is your arm? Do you need me to look at it?" he questioned, not even looking up from Steve's leg.

"No, it doesn't even hurt that much anymore."

"That's good, Monkey, that's good. I need you to go back inside to show the ambulance where to go when it gets here. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Danno," she said before running inside. Honestly, Danny didn't want Grace to see Steve like that. She thought he was invincible Super SEAL and thought he couldn't get hurt. Only that wasn't true.

"I'm c-cold," Steve muttered through chattering teeth.

"I know, I'll warm you up soon. You'll be okay." Danny applied more pressure to Steve's leg, trying to staunch the bleeding.

Steve cried out in pain for a split second before it turned into a groan.

"Grace… Gracie? She okay?" Steve asked. His voice sounded breathy.

"She's okay, thanks to you, buddy. Thank you."

"Good. Th-that's good. 'M tired… Sleep…"

"No, no, don't you dare fall asleep," Danny commanded. Steve's eyes started to slip shut despite Danny's warnings. He tapped Steve's cheeks none too gently. Steve moaned as his eyes fluttered back open.

In the distance, sirens could be heard and Danny thanked everyone and everyone that Steve would get help soon.

"Dannoo… Not gonna make it…" he breathed.

"Shut up, McGarrett, don't bail on me now. You're doing great, man. Keep it up," he encouraged. Steve's eyes slipped shut once again and Danny couldn't help but notice how pale Steve's face was and how his lips seemed bloodless.

"Don't do this to me, man," Danny whispered as he heard the ambulance pull up.

A/N: So, first chapter right here. Ya like it? Love it? Absolutely hate it? Well, either way, let me know. Thanks for reading! I'll see you all next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

Shark Bait Chapter 2

"Detective Williams, we need you to step back," the paramedic said.

Danny stood from his kneeling position and backed away from Steve's body. He was reluctant to move away, thinking that if he did, the medics would take Steve away and Danny would never get to see him again. He couldn't think that way, though, Steve was Super SEAL. He'd be fine, no doubt. Except he couldn't even convince himself of that anymore.

"Detective, we're going to take him to Queen's. Are you going to meet us there or come with us?" a young medic asked.

"I have my daughter, so we're going to meet you there," he said quickly. "Take good care of him."

"We will do everything that we can for him. Goodbye." With that, they loaded Steve into the back of the ambulance and drove off, sirens blaring.

"Danno, is Uncle Steve going to be okay?" Grace asked.

"Of course, Monkey. He'll be fine, don't worry," Danny told her with the most convincing smile he could manage. He was sure that his voice shook a little bit, though.

"This is all my fault," she cried, tears streaming freely down her face.

"Gracie, honey, none of this was your fault. It couldn't have been your fault," Danny said forcefully, not allowing Grace to feel guilty.

"If he didn't jump in to save me, he would've been okay. It's my fault that he's hurt, Danno!" she sobbed.

Danny enveloped her into a hug and pressed her face into his shirt, letting her cry into her chest.

"He would do _anything_ for you, baby, you know that. He did it because he wanted to and he didn't want to see you hurt. He'd rather be hurt than have you hurt, so don't you go blaming yourself. He did it because he wanted to, and I know that he won't blame you at all. You hear me, Monkey? It is _not your fault._"

They spent another minute sitting on the sand, Grace's tears soaking Danny's shirt. Her sobs eventually died down to exhausted sniffles and Danny stood, Grace wrapped in his arms.

"We have to go meet Uncle Steve at the hospital, okay? I'm going to put you in the car and I'll go get us a few things from inside. Can you just wait out here for a couple minutes while I'm inside?"

Grace nodded her head, burying her face even further into him. He carried her to the Camaro and placed her in the back seat, buckling her in. "I'll be right back," he said hastily.

He rushed inside and packed a bag complete with Steve's clothes (just in case), a few snacks for Grace and him to munch on, a few water bottles, a blanket, and Grace's favorite stuffed cow. He headed back to the car to find Grace sleeping peacefully in the back seat. Her eyes were pink and puffy and her cheeks had tear stains all over. He smiled a little bit, glad that she could fall asleep after all of that.

He headed to the driver's seat and started up the car. He pulled out of Steve's driveway and sped off towards Queen's

.H50.H50.H50.H50.H50.

Danny pulled up into a parking spot and carried Grace into the hospital, being careful not to wake her on the way in.

"Hi, my partner came in not too long ago. His name is Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett," Danny told the receptionist in the lobby.

"Let's see… Oh yes, he was brought in about ten minutes ago. He's currently having surgery on his leg. It's going to take a while, so you can just have a seat. The doctor will be in to speak with you as soon as the surgery is over," she explained.

"Thank you." He walked over to those stupid plastic chairs and settled Grace in one, draping the blanket over her. He settled himself down onto the chair next to Grace then pulled out his phone. He dialed Chin's number and waited for three rings before Chin answered.

"What's up, Danny? I thought you were going to Steve's today with Grace. I was actually just about to stop by and see what you guys were up to," Chin said.

"Oh, look, Chin. There was an accident at Steve's. It's pretty bad. We're at Queen's right now. I just thought you'd like to know," Danny said.

"What kind of accident? What happened?" Chin asked quickly, worry obvious in his voice.

"He was protecting Grace… They were surfing and there was a shark. Just one more reason for me to hate this pineapple-infested hellhole. Anyway, it attacked Steve and his leg got pretty messed up. He lost a lot of blood."

"Is he going to be okay? What's going on right now?"

"He's in surgery, they're trying to fix up his leg. I honestly don't know if he's going to be okay or not. It seemed pretty bad when he finally got to shore. He could barely stay awake."

"I'm on my way now, brah. I'll see you soon."

A beep signaled that Chin hung up. Danny sighed and started to dial Kono's number, dreading the fact that he had to recount the terrible accident another time.

Kono picked up on the second ring.

"Hey Danny," she greeted cheerily.

"Hey Kono. I was just calling to tell you that there was an accident at Steve's. He got attacked by a shark while Grace and he were surfing." There was a sharp intake of breath on the other side of the call. Danny continued, pretending that he didn't notice. "His leg got pretty ripped up and he lost a lot of blood. We're at Queen's right now."

"Oh my gosh, that's terrible Danny! Is he going to be okay?"

"I'm not so sure right now. It seemed bad on the beach. He's having surgery on his leg, now, though. I just thought I'd let you know."

"Thanks, Danny, I'm heading over now." She hung up quickly.

Danny sighed and shoved his phone back in his pocket. He glanced back over to Grace, happy to see that she had not woken up during his phone calls. Danny debated whether or not to call Catherine. He knew that she would like to know about what happened, but it might not have been as bad as it seemed. He didn't really want to worry her, anyway, because there was nothing she could do from on board the Enterprise. He finally concluded that it would just do more bad than it would good to call her.

Danny must have drifted off for a couple minutes because when he opened his eyes, Chin was walking down the hallway at a quick pace. He took long strides, passing by the blue speckled tiles by.

"Hey Danny. Any word on Steve yet?" Chin asked when he reached Danny's side.

"Nah, nothing yet." He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "He's only been in surgery for about half an hour. It could take a while longer."

Chin nodded his head sadly then sat in the chair beside Danny.

"How did Grace react," Chin whispered quietly, making sure that Grace couldn't hear if she was just pretending to be asleep.

"It wasn't too great. When they took Steve away in the ambulance, she started crying and telling me that it was her fault. I tried to convince her otherwise but I'm not sure if I got through to her. I really hope that I did," Danny explained.

"She'll be okay, Danny, I wouldn't worry about it. She's strong," Chin assured him.

"Yeah, she is, isn't she?"

Chin nodded his head in agreement. They fell into a comfortable silence, each man contemplating the situation. A few moments later, Kono appeared from around the hallway corner. She rushed toward the two men and girl.

"What's happening? Is Steve going to be okay?" she asked, her words stumbling over each other.

"We're not sure yet," Danny answered truthfully. "He's still in surgery and will probably be in there for a while."

Kono bobbed her head then took the seat next to Chin. They all sat there in silence, hoping, praying, for Steve to be alright.

.H50.H50.H50.H50.H50.H50.

"Detective Daniel Williams?" A doctor asked as he entered the waiting room.

Danny stood up, nearly knocking his chair over in his haste.

"That's me," he breathed, his voice barely audible. He cleared his throat and tried again. "That's me," he said louder that time.

"Please, Detective, take a seat," the doctor said. He gestured to the chair that Danny had previously been sitting in. Danny complied to the doctor's request and sat down slowly.

"I'm Dr. Richard Palakiko and I'm in charge of Commander McGarrett's case. We have completed the surgery," he started.

So, here's another cliffie. Whoooo. I need to apologize for this being so late, but I'm a busy person. I have 3 sports teams currently, so I'm barely home. I will try to get the chapters in at most 2 weeks apart, but there are no guarantees. I just want to state that now.

AND GUYS, I have a serious question that I need you all to answer. Review or PM me with your answer. Would you rather Steve keep his leg or have to go through the trauma of losing it and everything? Please tell me what you think and I'll tally it together to see what you guys want the most.

OH, also, I just want to thank you all for the reviews. I don't think I even replied to one of them, but it consumes more time than I have to offer, so I'd rather be writing in that time then replying. Please don't think that I'm being rude, I honestly just can't.

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Shark Bait Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, guys, it's been a while, and I'm really sorry about that. I've been having away games after school then softball games right after and literally no time to write. Hopefully I can update more often from now on. Also, just so you know, I'm not medical savvy at all, so forgive me if the stuff in this chapter/the next chapters are inaccurate. If it really is inaccurate, I would greatly appreciate if you could hint me to it. BTW, I think you guys will notice which option won out and I'm sorry if I distressed anyone about it. I really appreciate all the feedback in response to the question, too, so thank you all for that.**

"It went as well as could be expected," Palakiko said with a smile. "I have every reason to expect that he should regain full use of his leg again with a lot of hard work and therapy. Now, it isn't a guarantee that it will all go back to normal after this, but the odds look good right about now. We won't know anything for sure until he wakes up, but I think that it looks like there will be a happy ending to all of this."

There was a collective sigh from Danny, Chin, and Kono.

"Can we see him?" Danny asked the doctor.

"We are having him settled into a room as we speak. In about ten minutes, I'll have a nurse come and get you and show you to his room. He should be waking up in the next hour or two if he comes out of the anesthetics according to plan."

"Thank you so much, doctor," Kono thanked him. He nodded his head and smiled warmly before standing and walking away from the team.

"I think it's safe to say that we can relax a little bit now," Chin told them. "We should've known that Steve was going to be fine after all of this." They all chuckled a little bit, their tenseness easing away just a bit.

"Danno?" Grace's small voice asked. The three turned around to see Gracie sitting up in the chair, one small fist rubbing her eye. Her brown hair was matted and tangled on one side. "Is Uncle Steve okay?" she asked wearily, as if she was afraid of the answer.

Danny smiled reassuringly. "Of course he's okay, Monkey. What did I tell you? Uncle Steve is Super SEAL, he's always okay."

Grace smiled brightly. "Can we go see him? I need to thank him for saving me."

"A nurse is going to come and get us soon, then that's exactly where we're headed. Come here, I need a hug."

Grace leapt from her chair and bolted to her dad, jumping up and allowing him to catch her in his arms. She buried her face into his shoulder and draped her arms around his neck.

"Thanks for taking care of Super SEAL for me, Daddy," she whispered in his ear.

He smiled and shook his head gently. "No problem, Gracie. I don't know what I would do without him, either."

.H50.H50.H50.H50.H50.

"Danno, I think he's waking up," Grace whispered to her dad, her eyes never leaving Steve's. "His finger just moved."

Danny stood from the bedside chair and approached Steve slowly.

"Hey, open your eyes for me, babe," Danny told Steve quietly. He reached out his hand to grab Steve's. "At least squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

There was a brief and weak squeeze, but any squeeze was better than none at all.

"That's good, buddy. I need you to open your eyes for me now."

Steve's nose immediately crinkled up in effort. His eyes blinked open, tears forming in mere seconds.

"Damn, it's bright in here," Steve murmured.

"There're children in the room, Steven," Danny scolded playfully. "I'd appreciate it if you kept your offensive language to yourself.

Danny walked across the room and turned off the lights before returning to Steve's side. He pulled the chair closer to the bed and plopped down in it. He signaled Grace to come sit on his lap with a hand gesture and she trotted over and sat down.

"Hey Uncle Steve," Grace greeted quietly. She spoke as if saying hello would making him break in half. "Before you say anything, I just want to say that I'm sorry. And thank you."

Steve's watery eyes blinked a few more times to rid them of the moistness. Then he looked over at Grace.

"And what are you apologizing for?" Steve asked, his face displaying pure confusion. "I don't recall you doing anything wrong. You did exactly as I asked and I don't think you could've done any better."

Grace clasped her hands in front of her and started fiddling with her thumbs. She kept her head down, suddenly very interested on her fingers wrestling.

"That's the reason you got hurt. Because you were saving me," she mumbled under her breath, but Steve's advanced hearing picked up on every word.

"Oh. This is nothing to worry about and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant you were okay. Please promise me that you will not blame yourself for any of this because you could not have prevented _any_ of it. I love you, Grace, and no stupid shark is going to change that."

Grace took that opportunity to glance up from her hands and look at Steve. Her eyes met his and she couldn't help but start crying.

She stood from her position on Danny's lap and stood next to the bed.

"I love you too," she sobbed before collapsing on the bed.

Steve sat up straighter and leaned against the pillows. He grabbed her under the arms and pulled her onto the bed and hugged her tightly. If he thought that it was gross that Grace was getting tears and snot all over him, he never showed it nor said anything.

"I'd hate to break this up," Danny said casually, "But someone's mother is outside waiting for her daughter to come home."

Grace pulled away from Steve's embrace and she crawled off the edge. Her hands scrubbed at her eyes and across her nose, wiping away whatever traces of snot and tears there were. She sniffed a few times.

"I'll be back to visit soon," Grace promised. "Danno said that you never like to do what the doctors tell you to do, so can you promise me that you'll be good this time?" It seemed so innocent coming from her.

"Yes, I think I can manage that."

Grace smiled then turned and walked out of the room with Danny in tow. Before he stepped out of the room, however, Danny stopped and turned around.

"I can't thank you enough, Steve, really. There's nothing that I can say to ever thank you enough."

"Then you don't have to say anything."

Danny smiled genuinely and nodded before turning and following his daughter out the door.

**A/N: So, I'm very sorry that this chapter was so short, but I promise that the next one will be longer. Thank you to everyone that is sticking with me on this. Just like Danny, I can't thank you enough.**


End file.
